Tips and Ideas About Family Stories

Sharing Your Stories electronically is just one way to build your understanding of people in other generations. Explore some of the ideas on this page for more intergenerational sharing. 

Story Telling Tips for Conversations Across Generations

Share your stories with...

• children in your family
• younger or older neighbors
• children and adults at church or school
• people in care facilities

Tell about...

• life in your family, in your neighborhood, or at school, or work
• favorite sounds, smells, tastes
• celebrations and traditions
• times of trouble and how you handled them
• changes and decisions

Good times to tell your story may be when...

• you are working together
• someone has a problem similar to one you experienced
• you are traveling together
• you have shared a pleasant meal, before you leave the table

Telling stories is best if you...

• listen as well as talk
• keep the stories short
• suit the story to the listener's age and experience,
• tell them often

Record your stories...

• make a scrapbook
• create a photo album with dates and notes about the pictures
• make an audio or video of a person telling a story
• interview family members, ask lots of questions and record the answers
• encourage others to keep a journal or diary
• give blank books with a request for written information about your family in the early days to relatives

Web sites to explore:
Sites listed here will provide you with interesting ideas and resources for sharing your stories across generations.    

My History is America's History: A Millennium Project of the National Endowment for the Humanities
This site will provide you with information on tracing your family history and creating family history web pages. Stories from throughout America's History are featured. Includes suggestions for school and community use.

Baylor University, Institute for Oral History: Oral History Workshop on the Web
Includes tips for family oral history and an introduction to oral history 

The Rutgers University Oral History Archives of World War II
A large collection of interviews with people who lived through World War II 

Center for Life Story Preservation
Offers hundreds of ideas and links on all aspects of preserving your family history. The company does offer a commercial preservation service.

Iowa State University does not endorse or maintain these sites. Commercial or private sites linked from this page are intended only to supply information. No endorsement of products or firms is intended, nor is criticism implied of those not mentioned.